Well, it's May downunder so time for a new thread. As usual, April will stay open until... well, until I remember to close it.

I should start the month with a picture of a Maypole or Morris dancing or, as 1st May is a public holiday in most of the world in celebration of the workers, maybe a spanner or two - but I don't have any of those so here is the hard-working blackbird who dominates my back garden.

Good morning, fine pic flopsy!

So, these are the `Ice Towers'. We have international ice and snow sculpting competitions here every year. This was taken a few years back in town.

A typical country church in Bishops Stortford

Bridge of Sighs - Oxford:

This is an image of the naval ensign used by vessels of the navy of Henry Tudor (1457-1509) the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty. This example is being flown from the bowsprit of the replica of John Cabot's caravel, the 'Matthew', which can be seen at the docks in Bristol.

Tudor ensigns, and those used prior to that dynasty's period of rule, varied from ship to ship as standardisation did not begin in earnest until before the English Civil War. Each ensign was hand made, tending to be made from a variety of different materials with no two being exactly alike. This early example blends the green and white field of Wales with the cross of Saint George of England in canton.

A wooden thatched cottage on the edge of Suffolk

The Planetarium at Bristol harbourside.

Near Las Vegas in a National Conservation Area (like a national park) called Red Rock Canyon. This is how it got its name.

Many desert plants are in bloom now, including this hedgehog cactus.

A village green in north Essex

Detail of the massively powerful Victorian period tackle fitted to the Fairbairn steam powered crane on Bristol harbourside. The crane was constructed in 1878 and was last used 'in anger' so to speak, in 1973. The crane is still fired up on occasion today during maintenance periods and is still capable of lifting, with ease, the 35 ton load that it was originally designed to do almost 140 years later... Testament to the skill of the engineers and designers in Great Britain during the Victorian period. The Fairbairn Steam Crane is now classed as a scheduled ancient monument.

The desert daisy blooms over much of the year. I planted some in my garden last year. They died.

The Divinity School - Oxford:

Just another laid-back Saturday at the Red Rock Canyon visitor center.

A view, from the East, of one of Brunel's masterpieces; the Clifton suspension bridge.

A thatched cottage around the west edge of Suffolk

This is 'Wallace', one of around a dozen ever-so-patient and totally disinterested donkeys that provide entertainment for children of all ages on the beach at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

Good shots all `round, good morning, players!

Dawson city, this(world famous "Klondike Kates" ) was taken from a mining workshop in 2005, the last night before heading into camp.

Welcome! Nice to see a new face.
??
Tell me more (I am a humble Brit)

I hope I have not scared you but it has been a long time since I posted anything here. I came across this interesting chap today while out walking - a juvenile yellow-eyed penguin.

The beach at Southwold, almost as far east as you can go here without falling off.

Hi There!

I believe the name is in honour of Kate Rockwell, an early visitor to Yukon(in the days of the Rush)

I don't know if this is supposed to be a discussion thread though, I googled proper keywords.
So far, just promotions of the restaurant.

However: "Kathleen Eloise Rockwell (1873–1957), best known as "Klondike Kate", and later known as Kate Rockwell Warner Matson Van Duren, gained her fame as a dancer and vaudeville star during the Klondike Gold Rush, where she met Alexander Pantages who later became a very successful vaudeville/motion picture mogul. She gained notoriety for her flirtatious dancing and ability to keep hard-working miners happy if not inebriated. She died in obscurity after some minor success training Hollywood starlets in the 1940s."

Govannon, please do not keep changing the thread titles, just reply to the previous message and post your pic/comment. Leave the title alone or other people may get confused. Thanks.

This is a piece of civic art that can be found in front of the Customs House on the City of Exeter quay. The Armillary Sphere is cast in bronze, by local artist Roger Dean and dates from 1990. Roger Dean, an Exeter based artist, was also responsible for the design and production of Princesshay's original 'Blitz Fountain', an oft abused work of art; on many a Sunday morning council workers could often be found clearing up vast clouds of bubbles produced by the detergents that would be poured into its workings by late night revellers!

Armillary spheres are a type of astronomical instrument – early versions date from the 3rd Century BC, and had the earth in the centre while later and modern versions are heliocentric. They were used as teaching tools, demonstrating the motion of the earth and the planets around the Sun. Clockwork armillary's also exist that animate the positions of the planets relative to each other.